Depth of Magic
by Aaron Deiteri
Summary: UPDATE: some inconsistencies have been edited out.  Synopsis: Tugger comes to terms with his feelings for Misto, and Misto finds out the truth about his past, which may lead to some serious consequences.  Slash.  Please rate and review.
1. Chapter 1

It was morning, and Tugger woke with a start to a crack of lightning that couldn't have been more than a few hundred feet away. One thing Tugger was known for was his keen hearing, even superior to a cat's already-excellent auditory perception. This was a good thing when it came to detecting if Macavity was around, but in situations like this, it was just a downright pain. That crack of lightning startled Tugger so much that he sat bolt-upright in his makeshift bed of blankets, in his den that consisted of a partially-overturned oven missing its door. Through something akin to magic, even though he just woke up and his fur was messed up beyond belief, he looked fantastic with that black-and-orange coat that was exclusive to tortoiseshell Maine Coons. It always had been a mystery to the other cats as to the fact that, no matter what, Tugger maintained ultimate attractiveness all the time.

He jumped for a second time when he heard someone knock on the baking sheet that served as his door. Wanting so desperately to go back to bed, he cursed under his breath and called for the unknown cat to enter. A rather wet, shaken Mistoffelees sauntered in, looking cold, wet, and scared. Mistoffelees had only officially become a Tom last year, and thus still exhibited remnants of kitten behaviour. Tugger had always been a friend and a mentor to the black-and-white Tom, who had been abandoned as a kitten by parents whose identities were currently unknown.

"Hey kit, what's going on? You look like death warmed over."

Trying to stop his teeth from chattering, Misto replied, "I hate lightning. I really, really hate lightning. And I thought I saw Macavity outside my den, but I think that was just a trick of the light combined with my sleepy haze. Would you mind if I hang out here a while? I feel awful for disturbing you in the middle of the ni-"

Tugger cut the soaked Tom off and said, "Sure, don't even worry about it. What are friends for?"

"Thanks, Tug. Hey, would you happen to have a cloth or something that I could dry myself off with? It's pouring outside, and if I try to lick myself dry, I'll be here all week."

"C'mon over here." Tugger patted a spot on his makeshift bed, then grabbed a quilt and wrapped it around the shivering tuxedo cat. He pulled the covers back and said, "Get in and warm up with me. You can sleep here for the rest of the day if you want."

Misto started, "But Tugger, I'll get your bed all wet..."

"It'll dry. C'mon, I won't bite."

Misto climbed in and curled up next to Tugger, who got closer and let Misto's head rest in his mane. They fell asleep that way, Tugger subconsciously stroking Misto's shoulder.

When Mistoffelees woke, Tugger was still lying next to him, snoring. Even with his mane disheveled from sleeping, the Maine Coon seemed to always look incredibly attractive. Misto had been friends with Tugger for years, but in the past few months, the slender black Tom developed what seemed to be a bit of a crush on his long-time friend. He had quelled these feelings, bottling them up, because he knew Tugger didn't go that way.

Oh, but how Tugger looked so fantastic there. Misto thought to himself, _What if I just kiss him lightly and gauge how well he takes it... No! Damn it, I can't think like that. He doesn't swing both ways, but even if he did, the likely result of a display like a kiss would be rejection, and the fallout would include an exploded, irreparable, broken friendship. _

_But if I don't do anything, I'm going to end up growing old alone... I've got to do something. I've got to make Tugger fall for me and think it was his own volition. How the hell am I supposed to do that?_

_Maybe if I show him some ambiguous affection that would be pushing the limit of friends, but still within boundaries. Something small to start with... got it!_

Misto got a bit closer to Tugger under the blankets and located a particularly disheveled area in his mane. He started to lick it, while subconsciously purring. Tugger was pretty used to attention and stayed asleep. Misto started to become a bit overzealous and progressed to cleaning Tugger's face, which woke him up pretty quickly. He didn't pull away, since he was addicted to any attention he could get, but instead said, "Hey kit, whatchya doing?"

Misto felt his cheeks go bright pink and was suddenly extremely glad of his fairly-thick white face fur that came with being a tuxedo cat. He stammered, "Your fur had a particularly disheveled spot... I fixed it."

"Ah, okay. Thanks, Misto."

Mistoffelees felt his blush deepen even further.

"Hey, I'm gonna go out for a walk, so I'll see you later." Tugger ruffled his mane and walked out the door to take his evening stroll. Misto just stared after him and wondered how he'd ever get through without blatantly professing his feelings.

Once Tugger reached the outer limits of the junkyard, he started circling it as he always did for his nightly walk, and exhaled hard, letting out some tension. He had been Bombalurina's mate for years, but Mistoffelees was just so... _Damn it_, he thought. _Mistoffelees was just so... perfect. There, I admit that to myself. But I can't be seen swinging that way... ugh, who the hell cares? That slender, black-and-white body, that occasionally mischievous smile, the way he danced... It was just all so awesome. And I could definitely live without Bombalurina's ultimate ability to beat any cat down with her fiery words. _Misto had attraction, mysteriousness, and depth covered in an all-encompassing package of what, in Tugger's eyes, was perfection.

That settled it for Tugger, who was already aware that Misto liked him - he could smell the pheromones from miles away. _And if I display my feelings unexpectedly, I'll even be able to maintain my reputation for being unpredictable in the eyes of the other Jellicles. _

He walked through the junkyard to Mistoffelees' den, which consisted of a large number of flattened cans fused together to form something not dissimilar from an igloo. He wondered how Misto had gotten all those cans situated like that, and the answered himself with a laugh, _He's the magical, marvellous Mr. Mistoffelees. Of course he can levitate cans. _

It was time to call Misto out so that he could make his intentions known. Tugger never usually had a problem asking other cats out, but this time, his heart felt like it was somewhere around his ankles; after all, the previous encounters were meaningless to him anyway. He took a deep breath, shook his head, and called out, "Hey, Mistoffelees, can I see you for a minute?"

Misto called back, "Be out in a second." He had been in the middle of practicing his magic, working on making rain, and in the process had accidentally made one huge raindrop that fell on him and soaked him to the bone. And now his ultimate crush was waiting outside. He thought to himself, _Perfect, just damn perfect._ He couldn't get the water off himself very fast, and Tugger was right outside, which left him with no other option than to summon some wind to dry himself off. He closed his eyes, focused, and conjured. Unfortunately, he hadn't practiced this one very well, and the wind he summoned was far too strong. Sure, it dried him off, but it also ruffled his fur to a point where tufts were sticking out every which way. _I give. He'll never go for me anyway, so what's it matter? _He called for Tugger to come in.

Tugger strolled into Mistoffelees' den and looked at the black tuxedo cat whose fur was ruffled beyond what one would conceive possible. Misto had figured Tugger would laugh hysterically at what had happened, but instead, the most unexpected thing happened. Tugger strode over, pulled Misto towards him, and kissed him. Mistoffelees just about melted with a feeling of surprise and happiness. He returned the kiss, and the two of them stood there, joined, for quite some time.

Victoria, a close friend of Mistoffelees', had always been told to feel free to let herself into Misto's den. Inconveniently, she seemed to be predisposed to terribly bad timing. Today was one of those bad timing incidences, and Victoria sauntered in right while Misto and Tugger were holding each other and passionately kissing. Victoria stifled a giggle with her paw, but it was still all too audible.

The two Toms broke apart abruptly, both horrified that their secret was out before they wanted it to be, and Misto stammered, "I... I was just, ummm... Well, we were, uh, well..." Tugger cut in, seeing Misto fumble for the right words, and said, "Victoria, as you know, Misto and I have been best friends for years. Well, I've harboured a crush on him for ages, but never expressed it for fear that he wouldn't return the sentiment. And to boot, I've been trying to convince everyone that I'm straight, though that's kind of out the door now, though. And it seems that, to my elation," Tugger held Misto's hand, "he has feelings for me, too. So there you have it."

"Awww, that's wonderful; congratulations! But wait, aren't you mated with Bombalurina?"

"Ummm, well, yes, but it's not what one would call a serious relationship. We both sleep around - or at least she does, and I pretend to. All that doesn't really matter to me if I could be with Mistoffelees and see where it takes us, but only if he's interested..."

Misto pressed himself into Tugger's side and said in a low, contented tone, "I'd like that."

"Then that settles it. I'll talk to Bombalurina tonight and break it off with her. She's been getting on my nerves lately anyway. But Victoria, you can't breathe a word of this to anyone until I do that; I want Bombi to hear it from me."

After Victoria left, Mistoffelees gave Tugger a worried look and said, "What if Bombalurina loses it when you tell her and tries to tear a strip off me?"

"Don't worry. I'll be honest with you: she'll be furious. But she wouldn't try to harm you, because she knows how badly she'd get yelled at by Old Deuteronomy if she did. She'll probably swear and pace and hiss and yell, but you'll be fine - trust me." Seeing Mistoffelees with an expression of dissatisfaction, Tugger added, "Hey, even if she did lose it, I'd knock her unconscious before she could get within five feet of you, okay?"

"Okay, but I'm going to stay really close to you just in case."

They both walked over to Bombalurina's den, an old water pipe, and Tugger knocked twice, firmly, on the side. He portrayed a sense of confidence, but deep down, his heart felt like it had fallen to a location at about the height of his knees. Bombalurina sauntered out, glancing once at the moon, and said, "Hey, Tugger."

"Hi Bombi. Mind if we step inside? I need to talk to you."

"Sure, but why does he have to be here?" She indicated Mistoffelees, who was trying to stay close to Tugger and be nonchalant at the same time.

"I'll explain in a minute." The three of them entered the den and sat down. "Bombi, you remember how we came up with a no-strings-attached deal when we started seeing each other, right?"

"Yeah..." A glint of fiery temper crossed her eyes.

"Well, I'm invoking it now. It's not that I don't like you, but rather it's because Misto and I, well, kinda connected. It's hard to explain, but anything short of being together and, at the very least, seeing where this goes, would feel horribly wrong for both of us. We're taking this relationship-in-testing seriously, which means no more one-night-stands."

Bombalurina's eyes fixed on Mistoffelees and she rose to her full height, fur bristled, making her seem a lot larger than she actually was. "You think you can steal Tugger away from me? With what, the flash of a few sparks and a cute little smile? You're unbelievable! Un-_freaking_-believable! You have no real sense of right and wrong, do you? You just get what you want, because you're the magical, marvellous Mr. Mistoffelees! But my amazing voice doesn't mean _anything_, oh no. Years of practice out the window for a few flashy tricks!"

She turned to Tugger and continued, "And you. You unfaithful thing, you. You think you can just march around and sway your hips and get whoever you want whenever you want. You don't even think of your lovers as fellow cats - you regard them as conquests, as trophies to be won. Am I just-"

Something strange happened as Bombalurina ranted, something that had happened only once before with a street cat that bullied Misto a few years ago, an instance he had never told anyone about. He drew himself up to a height equal to Bombalurina's, his fur standing on end, and said, "Shut up while you're ahead. Don't you ever speak to him like that. Got that?"

"Excuse me? How dare you use that tone! You're just a pathetic-"

Misto summoned wind of high strength and let it loose towards Bombalurina, whose fur was ruffled beyond recognition. "I told you to shut up."

"You think pissing me off with a bit of wind will get rid of me? As I said before, you're just a pathetic little-"

A dangerous glint of fiery anger flashed through Mistoffelees' eyes, and he proceeded to make a grand gesture, squeezing his hands together. He pointed his clenched fists to the space above Bombalurina's head and opened them, conjuring an orb of water. "You don't seem to listen very well. Now say you're sorry about insulting Tugger, and I'll make this orb disappear as fast a s it came."

"Are you kidding? No way you're that powerful. This is just some elaborate illusion. I'd seek out Macavity before I'd say I'm sorry."

Mistoffelees let the water slip a few inches, just enough to wet the tips of Bombalurina's ears.

"Woah, okay kit, calm down. I'm sorry about everything, okay? I take it all back. Just leave me alone and I'll leave you alone, please?"

The black-and-white tuxedo cat snapped his fingers, and the conjuration was gone. He held Tugger's hand and said to Bombalurina, "Next time, hold your tongue." With that, he and Tugger disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

Bombalurina just sat there, stunned.

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><p>More chapters to come; subscribe to this story to be alerted when I add the next chapter.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Mistoffelees had an eidetic (photographic) memory, and it was extremely useful for the purposes of apparition, as it allowed him to return to a place he had already been to without having to look at a photograph. Unfortunately, in this instance, he misjudged the height of Tugger's bed, having intended to have them land there softly. Instead, they both appeared about two feet up, leading to a rather unnerving fall. As soon as it happened, Misto figured his new mate would be furious at him, and was mortified. Unexpectedly, Tugger calmly landed, looked around, and just started laughing.

"It's unbelievable! Fantastic! Well, kit, it looks like you really deserve the title of 'The Magical, Marvellous Mr. Mistoffelees', because that was really, really impressive. You certainly blew my mind. So now I'm going to live up to my reference as a 'curious cat' and ask you, how do you do it?

Somewhat taken aback, Mistoffelees replied, "If you could find out and let me know, that'd be great," he laughed. "I honestly have no idea - it's kind of instinctual, sort of like how all cats know how to right themselves when falling. I don't know how us cats do it - we just do."

He paused for a moment, then continued in a more serious tone, "Speaking of my magic, I should let you know something. You know how Coricopat and Tantomile know everything all the time? They manage that by being able to hear the thoughts of other cats near them. Well, I can do the same thing, but not nearly as well as they can, and I have been known to read thoughts erroneously. I can only do it if I'm concentrating really hard and am not distracted. The reason I've never been able to read you is because I've always been preoccupied with, well, _you_. I just thought that you should know that if you intend on keeping a thought to yourself, take a walk or make sure you're distracting me - which shouldn't be too hard."

Tugger replied, "I appreciate you telling me, but to be honest, I don't want to have any secrets anyway. I really believe in openness in a pairing... speaking of which, we should get to know each other's histories, don't you think? We've been friends for a long time, but you don't really know my full history, and I," he coughed nervously, "barely know the basics of yours."

Mistoffelees thought the pang of nervousness in Tugger's voice to be a little strange, but passed it off as inconsequential. "I completely agree; do you want to go first? I have a feeling that mine is going to be pretty long-winded."

"No problem, that's fine by me. Okay, well where do I begin...

Munkustrap and I are brothers, as you already know. Another fact about Munkus and I, something that is not well-known amongst the other cats, is that Old Deuteronomy is our father. I'm actually a few minutes older that Munkus, and so, as tradition has it, Old Deuteronomy asked me to be second-in-command and Jellicle Protector. At the time, that kind of responsibility scared me half to death... and Munkus was a better public speaker anyway, so I spoke my mind and told my father that I though my brother would be more effective at the job.

After I made my position known, Old Deuteronomy made a deal with me. Munkustrap would become the official second-in-command and Jellicle Protector, but he would always heed my advice if given seriously. And thus, I became third in the chain of command, while still having a large amount of sway over Munkustrap's decisions.

You see, I didn't always have this reputation for being a player and a flirt. Once you really know me, and you are probably the closest one outside of my brother and father to truly know me for who I am, you find out that I'm a hopeless romantic and quite the academic, the kind of cat that mulls over philosophical questions while at rest. But that's not what other cats expect of a tortoiseshell Maine Coon who, pardon my lack of humbleness, is extremely attractive. Any time I tried to display my true self, the others would laugh and think I was kidding- no one took me seriously. So I manufactured a persona not of my own, but one that would fulfil the others' miserably inaccurate thoughts about me. And thus I attained the reputation that I have today. It's not something I'm proud of, that's for sure. When I walk about the junk yard and entertain my fan club, I don't even feel like me - it's a show, a facade. It's more of an acting performance than anything else.

To make things even worse, I'm gay, though I can be with a queen and get through it if I absolutely have to. The worst part about it is that when I get a true crush, I've got to bury it and never let anyone know. Well, I've had it with that now, so I'm acting on my feelings. I'm pursuing a relationship with you, something I've wanted for years, and if the others have a problem with that, then they can go to hell. I'm going to do what I want to do for a change. And so here I am, being me, and loving you."

"Awww, I love you too, Tug. Forever and always." Mistoffelees kissed his mate, who had sat down beside him while talking. They remained like that for a time, what felt like a few seconds, but was in fact much longer.

Tugger broke the kiss, hugged his mate, and said, "That in itself is enough to bring true happiness to my life. Well, I guess I shouldn't do all the talking." Tugger did his absolute best to hide his dread of what he would tell Misto all too soon, and it seemed to work. He continued, "Weren't you going to tell me about your history?"

"Yes, of course. Well, mine is hazy before two years ago; all I remember is waking up to Munkustrap looking deeply worried. The retrograde amnesia was pretty bad... I didn't know my name, or anything else, for that matter. Who knows who my parents are. Any time I ask Munkustrap, he mumbles something unintelligible and changes the subject. It's kind of frustrating, because it almost seems like he's hiding my history from me."

Tugger wanted to say something, but he held his tongue and let Mistoffelees continue. He had waited for the truth for years; a few minutes would not make one bit of difference.

"Anyways, I was only a year away from being a Tom, and Munkustrap seemed to think I could do okay without supervision, so he let me make my own den on the condition that I checked in with him, you, or whoever was left in charge if neither of you were available, at least twice a day.

When I found an area where I wanted my den, I paced a couple times, thinking of what I could use to build it. I tripped over a can while pacing, and out of frustration, reflexively flattened it and threw it aside... Except I didn't touch it. I knew I had magic, but not that strong... I had always figured I could only make sparks and other little displays. When I discovered this new talent, the idea of building a den of cans came to me. So I levitated and crushed them all together until I formed a little house of my own. When I was done, I found some blankets and formed a bed not too dissimilar from yours.

Over the following weeks, I learned about different magical abilities I had. I discovered that if I concentrated, I could hear the thoughts of others. I found out that my eyes changed from royal blue to emerald green when I sensed danger. And to boot, I _always_ know if someone's watching me.

A couple weeks after my arrival, you introduced yourself to me. That was the beginning of a great friendship, and now we have something even better. I love you so much."

Tugger hugged Misto, whose head rested in the larger cat's mane. "I love you, too."

After a short pause, Tugger said, "I've been burning to say something for years, but it seemed better to conceal it... until yesterday. Listen, I might be able to fill some of the gaps in your memory. Munkus knows more about your past than he lets on, and as a matter of fact, so do I. When you first joined our tribe, Old Deuteronomy, Munkustrap, and I were all informed of your background by Coricopat and Tantomile, who managed to access your subconscious; coupled with your mumbled words of unconsciousness, we learned quite a lot. When we found out the seriousness of the matter, the five of us made a pact to never tell you any of it, because it would do more harm than good.

You've been a Tom for a year now, and I think you have the right to know your past. Before I tell you anything, though, please remember one thing: no matter what your genetics are, and no matter how evil your parents were, you're a good cat. You're a Jellicle, and we all respect you deeply, no matter where your history lies.

I don't know who your mother was, but your father... well, your father was Macavity. And when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Macavity is one of the best magicians in existence, and he must have passed those talents onto you.

Please understand, Macavity wasn't always a 'monster of depravity'. In fact, he was once a Jellicle, too, and is actually my older half-brother, technically making me your half-uncle, a 6.25% blood relationship. As Macavity got older, his mind was poisoned with horrendous thoughts; we still don't fully understand what twisted him. After he had been corrupted, he had one son, and he named him after a character in an ancient work called _Doctor Faust_, written by Marlowe in the 18th century. The character's name was Mephistopheles, a demon who guided Faust and collected his soul after he made a deal with the devil.

When we found you, you mumbled quite a bit of history to us, including these facts, but soon forgot them altogether - and that was probably for the best. We thought that renaming you entirely would, in a way, strip you of your identity, but we didn't want you to have a name so tied to Macavity. As a result, we coupled your previous name with the fact that you were a bit of a mystery, thus _Mist-_, with a variation of the end of your name, _-offelees_. And thus you became known as Mr. Mistoffelees. Your nickname to Macavity was _Mephisto_, but to us, it became _Misto_.

You're probably wondering why I'm telling you all this and not keeping the pact I made with Munkustrap, Old Deuteronomy, Coricopat, and Tantomile, the four others that know the whole truth. Well, it's because of the fact that you said you saw Macavity in your window that night when you came to me, soaking wet, in the middle of that storm. The thing is, though you don't realize it, you've only ever heard about Macavity. You've never seen him since the amnesia that has affected you. I think that you really did see him, and you recognized him from a remnant memory stimulated by his actual appearance. You see, in amnesia, these things don't just pop up while you're awake, sleepy haze or not. Amnesia either deletes those memories, or buries them so deep that even your subconscious mind would have trouble finding them again.

Now, in the off-chance that this is a false alarm, I don't want Munkustrap or Old Deuteronomy to get paranoid for nothing. That's why I'm going to call in a favour from Coricopat and Tantomile for them to spend the next 24 hours 'tuned in' to Macavity's presence. If he really was here, he's far too obsessive to not come back again today, once we're asleep. He won't approach us tonight, but will only watch; he'd want time to plan before he'd attempt contact.

Are you up to visiting the twins now, or do you need some time to digest all this? I realize it must come as an awful shock, and I really am sorry for that. But you needed to know because of what you saw, and you have a right to the truth anyway."

Mistoffelees' eyes had grown wider as Tugger divulged the information. He was definitely right that this came as a huge shock; being related to Macavity was a disturbing fact unto itself, regardless of the other facts that only enhanced the disturbing nature of his history. He buried his head into Tugger's mane and said, "Wow... I can hardly believe it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not mad at you... the secret was kept to protect me, and I realize and completely agree with that. It's just, well, it basically shatters my reality."

"Don't let it. I want you to promise me something. Promise me that you'll make an effort to remember that your past is past, and doesn't change who you are now or how much other cats respect you. We all adore you, and the kittens will always love you for who you are, and especially your fireworks shows." Tugger smiled genuinely, and then continued, "Don't let all this turn your world upside down, okay?"

Mistoffelees took a deep breath and said, "Alright, I promise. It's really shaken me up a bit, but I think I'm okay... and I'll just keep fretting anyway, so we might as well go see Coricopat and Tantomile now."

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><p>I'll be adding the next chapter pretty soon; subscribe to the story to be notified when I do.<p> 


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